The Georgia Bulldogs and the Presidential Election Year Jinx

T Kyle King — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:00:05 -0000

Two important events transpired within a week of one another early in November 1980. One was the election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency of the United States. The other covered 93 yards and ended with Larry Munson breaking his chair.

I mention these two events because, obviously, 1980---a presidential election year---ended quite well for the Red and Black, as had (to varying degrees) three of the previous four presidential election years (Vince Dooley’s first season in 1964 and the S.E.C. championship seasons of 1968 and 1976). With the sole exception of 1972, each of the five presidential election years following 1960 ended well for the ‘Dawgs.

What happened after that? Did we use up all of our presidential election year mojo with the undefeated season of 1980? Look at what has happened since:

1984: Georgia started the year well with Kevin Butler’s 60-yard field goal to beat second-ranked Clemson, but the Bulldogs faded down the stretch to finish unranked for the first time in five years.

1988: The Red and Black had a shot at winning Vince Dooley’s seventh conference title in his 25th and final season, but a fifth loss to Auburn in a six-year span and Georgia’s first loss in Lexington since 1965 doomed the ‘Dawgs.

1992: A Georgia squad loaded with talent was favored to win the Eastern Division and should have contended for a national championship, but losses by three points to Tennessee and by two points to Florida spoiled the Classic City Canines’ chances.

1996: Excitement over the installation of a new coach and a new offense between the new hedges quickly dissipated in the wake of an 0-2 start. Georgia failed to make a bowl game for the third time in four years.

2000: The ‘Dawgs came into the year expected to win the S.E.C. and considered a contender for the No. 1 ranking. Quincy Carter then proceeded to throw five interceptions in a loss to South Carolina and the team ended up in a bowl that doesn’t even exist any longer. This dismal season concluded with the firing of Jim Donnan.

2004: With Fred Gibson, David Greene, and David Pollack all back for their senior season, the Bulldogs once again were expected to win the conference championship and be in the running for a national title. A letdown against Tennessee and a beatdown at Auburn relegated Georgia to the Outback Bowl instead.

2008: Uh, yeah.

Let me hasten to add that I am not advocating the abolition of the electoral college, the establishment of an hereditary monarchy, or the creation of a parliamentary system of government. (There are arguments for that last one, but that’s a separate subject.) The U.S. Constitution vests the executive power in a president, which is just fine with me.

Nevertheless, I cannot overlook the fact that, after years of outperforming expectations in presidential election years, the Bulldogs now seem to fall short of playing to their potential each time voters go to the polls to choose the electors who will select the next leader of the free world. What, precisely, is up with that . . . and would it be wrong to suggest a Constitutional amendment giving the chief executive a single six-year term, so that we can space out the recurring downcycles a bit?

Go ‘Dawgs!

Bringing the Mountain to Mohamed Massaquoi: A Tribute to No. 1 in Your Program and No. 1 in Your Heart

T Kyle King — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:45:19 -0000

Right now, the attention of Bulldog Nation is scattered among several people. We all are wondering whether Stacy Searels is going to Auburn and whether Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Rockwell Moreno are headed for the N.F.L. We’re all glad Jeff Owens is returning and we’re all looking forward to at least another couple of years of A.J. Green. We all have our opinions of Mike Bobo and Willie Martinez, and whether their continued employment in their present positions is what’s best for the Red and Black.

Lost in all of this, though, is the fact that, while New Year’s Day 2009 may be---likely is---the last time Stafford and Moreno will take the field for Georgia, January 1 will be the last time another prominent Bulldog on the offensive side of the ball dons the silver britches.

I am speaking, of course, of Mohamed Massaquoi.

Perhaps because the ‘Dawgs ran the ball so much and so well for so long, we as a fan base have tended to be a tad tough on our receivers. Georgia receivers are a lot like presidents of the United States . . . since the late ‘80s, almost none of either have left their posts as popular as when they arrived.

Oh, we’ve been fond of any number of tight ends along the way; who among us didn’t love Troy Sadowski, Randy McMichael, or Leonard Pope? We have, however, been harsh towards the guys split wide ever since the Classic City Canines got serious about this whole "forward pass" business.

Andre Hastings was overshadowed by Eric Zeier and Garrison Hearst. Michael Greer caught everything thrown his way until his career went up in smoke. Hason Graham, Brice Hunter, Juan Daniels, Fred Gibson, Reggie Brown, Bryan McClendon, Sean Bailey, and A.J. Bryant all tend to be remembered more for that portion of their potential which went unfulfilled than for the percentage that they realized.

While we revere Lindsay Scott for a third down catch against Florida, all we recall about all-time leading receiver Terrence Edwards is a third down drop against the Gators. Unless a fellow was a Hines Ward who did double duty under center when desperate times called for desperate measures or a Michael Johnson who made 70 X Takeoff this generation’s chair-breaking, property-destroying moment, we tend to think of him less fondly than we should, if we think of him at all.

It is likely, therefore, that Bulldog Nation is eleven days away from consigning Massaquoi forevermore to the scrap heap of Georgia receivers we deem disappointing either because our expectations for them were so high or our faith in the passing game was so low.

We will remember Massaquoi’s sophomore slump, but we will forget that he still led the team in receptions that year. We will conclude that the 2005 offensive newcomer of the year and Sporting News freshman all-America honorable mentionee failed to live up in his last three seasons to the hype he generated in his rookie campaign. We will remember the afternoon he seemed like he couldn’t catch a cold and will pretend that a bad game made the fans justified in cheering when he was taken out of the lineup.

What we won’t remember, because we seldom do---but what we should remember, because he earned it---is that Mohamed Massaquoi caught a pair of passes in his collegiate debut against Boise State, and that he went 23 yards on his first career rush in a win over Tennessee, and that he hauled in half a dozen balls for 108 yards and a touchdown against Auburn, all as a freshman.

We will find a way to overlook six catches and a touchdown in a 15-12 win over Georgia Tech in the year in which he supposedly played so terribly. We will manage to ignore a tackle for a 20-yard loss on a botched punt to set up a touchdown against Oklahoma State. We will, if we try, succeed in forgetting his 84-yard touchdown reception in last year’s win over the Gators, or how he earned the True Grit Award at the end of spring practice and proved he deserved it by playing with all the guts and heart in the world in his last home game against the Yellow Jackets.

While we generally are good fans, we tend to be a little rough on our wide receivers here in Bulldog Nation. Given how much criticism Mohamed Massaquoi has drawn during his collegiate career, I have no doubt that he is but one game away from joining that long line of distinguished split ends and flankers, slot receivers and wideouts, who have passed through Athens and departed underappreciated and sold short.

Let us, however, take a break from speculating about the futures of Coaches Martinez and Searels and of Messrs. Moreno and Stafford. Let us, for now, for once, heap praises upon and be grateful to that tall, lanky kid out of Charlotte, N.C., who, try as he might, can’t resist smiling even at the end of a career that was a great deal more fun to watch than it had to have been to have lived.

For four years, we have had the privilege of seeing this young man usually play well and always play hard for his---our---team. While he had his bad games along the way, he hustled, showed toughness, and persevered. Mohamed Massaquoi was, is, and always will be a damn good ‘Dawg, and he deserves to be told that in terms much more uncertain than we have ever used when communicating that sentiment to him.

Don’t fail to appreciate Mohamed Massaquoi before he’s gone. He has 60 minutes to play and we have a lifetime to remember. We clearly got the better end of that bargain. Thanks for four great years, MoMass.

Go ‘Dawgs!

SB Nation - Fred Gibson

The Georgia Bulldogs and the Presidential Election Year Jinx

Bringing the Mountain to Mohamed Massaquoi: A Tribute to No. 1 in Your Program and No. 1 in Your Heart